Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a turbine or like machine in which a vaporized fluid expands and is cooled, while giving up mechanical energy. More particularly, the invention relates to such a system utilizing a heat pump which includes an ejector.
A heat engine for converting heat energy into mechanical energy always used a medium which is heated up to high temperature at a high pressure. Then the medium may expand in a turbine or any other machine operating by expansion, while both the pressure and the temperature decrease to low levels, while at the same time mechanical energy is delivered to the turbine. Usually the medium is in the state of steam both before the expansion and after. Much heat energy has to be taken off from the medium after the expansion. In open systems this is done by taking the medium out of the system, to be replaced by new medium at the high temperature level. In closed systems it is done by cooling the medium so that the steam condenses to fluid. After that it is pumped up to high pressure and heated up again to convert it to steam and fed into the turbine.